The Drove Road and Windygill Ridge from Boltby

7 miles                                Drizzle

Today's forecast was for dry weather, partly sunny, but what we got was drizzle and sometimes rain, in a way a pleasant change from the recent weeks of constant dry warm weather.   We drove through Boltby and parked at a hard shoulder on the right hand side of the road, shown by 'P' on the map below.  After booting up we walked uphill along the same road, away from the village, until turning left at a footpath sign into a farm track to Lunshaw House Farm.

 

 

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills

 

Take the left fork

.. then over the stile into fields

Follow the farm track for about a quarter of a mile then cross into fields at a way-marked stile.  At first the track is very clear but at this time of year it soon disappears into bracken.  Eventually we reached another stile and crossed into trees.  Here we encountered hundreds of recently released pheasants which ran along ahead of us.

At first the path is clear and the bracken short

.. but both soon change

We find the stile

.. and more bracken

.. and pheasants

It was amusing to be led along the woodland paths by dozens of young pheasants, still tailless and reluctant to fly.  Eventually our path led us to cross an almost dry Lunshaw Beck on old stone slabs and Low Paradise Farm came into view.

 

We follow the gang

Low Paradise Farm appears to the left

Lunshaw Beck is almost dry

We start the climb

We then started a mile long ascent which TSB correctly describes as a 'muscular climb'.  This climb first passes Low Paradise farm, then Oak Beck cottage before continuing to climb all the way to High Paradise Farm.

 

Low Paradise Farm

Noisy hounds at Oak Beck Cottage

Oak Beck Cottage

High Paradise Farm

High Paradise Farm has a nice cafe which is open from Thursday to Sunday during the summer months and we decided to pop in. Rhubarb scones were on offer and we enjoyed a nice break but as we ate the light drizzle turned to rain.

 

Rhubarb scones and coffee at High Paradise

 

After finishing our coffee we left the farm cafe and walked out into the rain towards Sneck Gate and the moor.  Passing through the gate we were now on the Hambleton Drove Road, which we followed left for 1.5 miles, soon reaching forest. To our right was Daletown Common Moor.

 

Leaving High Paradise

Approaching the Drove Road

 

On the Drove Road, Daletown Common to the right

We walked on through the trees for some time and then, just before reaching the ruins of Steeple Cross (first mentioned in 1246 but no longer a cross, now just a 2 feet high piece of stone) we turned left to enter the plantation's trees.

Steeple Cross, turn left here..

... and go through the gate

.. into Boltby Woods

A lot of felling has taken place

 ..and a lot of the woods are no more.

We walked on through the trees and after about 1.5 miles we reached Windygill Ridge which we followed with fine views (in better weather) down to Cowesby.

 

On Windygill Ridge

Just after passing Seta Pike the path turns left to descend on a steep forestry path.  Even in this dry weather the track was wet and boggy in places and the steep descents were slippery making progress slow.  We reached a forest access path which bordered Gurtof Wood and followed it down, thus avoiding what is the worst part of the descent, tricky even in dry weather but nasty today with high bracken masking the steep path.

 

Starting the descent 

We decide to follow this track instead of descending through bracken

The track skirts Gurtof Wood which we should be struggling through

 

We're back on TSB's track and again ignore a way-mark as the path it indicates is no more

Clive gazes down into Gurtof Wood and across to Boltby Forest

We then walked through fields using way-marks on the field boundaries as guides until joining a wide track.  We followed this to a green lane, which led us down to Boltby.

An English Elm, now rarely seen in our area as a mature tree

Descending into Boltby from Gurtof House

Walking through Boltby

The pony trekking centre used to be the village pub The Johnstone Arms

The old village pub, being renovated following a fire

We came to the Holy Trinity Church where we paused to look around.

 

The Holy Trinity Church, Boltby

Looking towards the altar

Altar window

A penitent on his knees at Holy Trinity 

Ah no, it's Clive who has dropped his donation

Holy Trinity churchyard seems to contain only fairly recent graves and a further look at our guidebook 'The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills' explains why: apparently it was the custom until Victorian times to carry the dead from Boltby and Kirby Knowle for burial at Felixkirk, "swathed in linen and uncoffined."  It would be interesting to know the reason for this practice but unfortunately the book does not give one. It seems strange as they had perfectly good churches in both Boltby and Kirby Knowle. 

 

 

We continued through the village, crossing the old pack horse bridge and climbed steeply up the hill, heading towards the car and a well earned pint.  

 

"Cheers!"

 

 

 

 

Shallow Dale and Ampleforth Country

9 miles                    Warm and fine

 

We drove to Ampleforth via the A19 and Thirsk Bank and parked in the village where there is plenty of roadside parking.

 

Today's walk from The Walker's Guide to the Hambleton Hills

 

Tom Scott Burns says that Ampleforth is mentioned in the Domesday Book and means 'ford where the sorrel grows.'

We booted up and after calling at the village store for fresh Jakemans Lozenges (a hiking essential) we headed west along the High Street, eventually walking uphill out of town where we saw a new memorial bench placed where previously an old bench had been dedicated to 'The Old Timer.'

 

"Got any Jakemans?"

Houses on Ampleforth High Street

 

New bench

The old bench

... and its dedication

If anyone can help we would like to know more about Ron Tyreman but an internet search for the man and his song has proved negative.

We followed the road west out of the village and took the second turning on the right, into Westwood Lane.  Passing a working sawmill the road soon becomes a narrow lane which is very pretty and pleasant to walk along, as we enter Shallow Dale.  

This is a very quiet dale and there is little trace of the Quaker settlement that was once scattered along the valley, growing flax in terraces and spinning it into yarn. There are heaps of stone where their cottages once stood. 

 

Snake Villa

An old railway truck

A pleasant 1.5 miles along the lane

A long gentle climb brought us to the head of the valley where the path continues past High Woods Farm and then returns alongside Low Wood plantation before entering Burtis Wood.  We walked through the wood for some time, descending, sometimes steeply, back towards Carr Lane.

 

Royalty Slack sounds interesting but we head for High Woods Farm

Sign on the table

High Woods

Bullocks, too hot to bother us

High Woods Farm

Approaching the trees of Low Wood

Descending steeply through Low Wood

After leaving the wood at a stile we turned sharp left and walked through three fields, keeping parallel to the road below. In the last field were piglets, small enough to get through the fence that enclosed their mothers, and cattle with calves.

 

Crossing Burtis Beck

Masses of Himalayan Balsam

Cross three fields

Piglets!

The piglets could slip under the fence

Cows and calves.  We head down to join the road

 

We rejoined the road at the end of the third field. We were now leaving Shallow Dale and after crossing Carr Lane we began today's second circular walk, this time southwards of Ampleforth.

We followed a way-marked path to reach Newstead Barn and below it Newstead Pond, which TSB describes as delightful, but the drought and weed have taken their toll.  It was very silted and in need of management.

 

 

"Nowt in here but pigeons!"

Newstead Pond is delightful no more, overgrown and silted up

 

After the barn we crossed a couple of fields and in one we found a fallen tree to sit on. Here we enjoyed our coffee and scones with a nice view over Ampleforth Country.

 

Coffee and scones

After a pleasant break we set off once more crossing a couple of fields and joining a lane which took us past Old Pilfit Farm.  

Old Pilfit Farm

Just past the farm the lane has a cattle grid and as we crossed it we saw a hedgehog had fallen in.  The grid was about 18" deep and there was no ramp or bricks to aid an escape.  At first I thought the hog was dead and tapped it with my walking pole which brought an immediate response so Clive got out a pair of gloves and reached in to rescue it.  We gave it water which it drank and then took it away from the grid to a nearby wood where we released it.  It was definitely a lucky day for the hedgehog which appeared otherwise fit and well.  Unusually there was no sign of tick or flea on it.

 

Passing Old Pilfit Farm

Calves at Old Pilfit

Who's that down there?

Hedgehog rescue begins

It's a deep grid with no way out

Looks fit but thin

It has a good drink

This looks like a good spot

".... and away!"

We set off walking once more and our lane joined the Colley Broach road.  These little lanes and roads seem devoid of traffic and are very pleasant to walk along. 

We soon reached Low Lion Lodge farm where the lane bears left, but we leave the lane by keeping straight on past the farm buildings before entering fields to walk south to reach the rather grand High Lion Lodge.

 

We cross the bed of the old Ampleforth railway

Ampleforth

Low Lion Lodge

Continue through fields

Looking down on Low Lion Lodge with the White Horse top left

The path appears unwalked

High Lion Lodge

... and some of its residents

Passing by High Lion House and its alpacas we turned right into North Moor Lane where, after a couple of hundred yards on tarmac, we turned left onto a forestry road to cross Yearsley Moor.

 

Leaving the road to cross Yearsley Moor

Clive dons his sun hat (pat. pending)

Red Admiral, lots of butterflies in today's still, warm weather

 

Another Red Admiral, this one more orange than red

 

We followed this forestry road until we reached Higher Fish Ponds where we swung left to sweep past the pond and reach Lower Fish Pond.  This Lower Fish Pond is by far the larger and is a tranquil and pretty spot.

Approaching Higher Fish Pond

Heavy foliage hides the pond

A glimpse of Higher Fish Pond

We reach Lower Fish Pond

Picturesque Lower Fish Pond

Just past Lower Fish Pond the route turns north to cross a sheep field. Our path is now a straight 1.75 miles walk through fields leading back to Ampleforth.  

 

We crossed fields and then the old embankment of the long disused Malton to Coxwold railway enjoying fine views of Ampleforth Abbey and College over to our right.

Ampleforth Abbey

Wide paths back to Ampleforth

Eventually we left the field tracks to join Mill Lane which we followed back into the village.   

This is quite a pretty route along little walked paths and because of poor signage is best done with a close eye to the map or GPS. (GPS track available on request)

No pubs were open in Ampleforth on our return but a short drive took us to Coxwold where we discussed today's fine summer walk.

 

A straight path to Ampleforth

 

"To Lucky - keep off the cattle grid!"